1:1-14.5 Ex parte communications |
(a) Except as specifically permitted by law or this chapter, a judge may not initiate or consider ex parte any evidence or communications concerning issues of fact or law in a pending or impending proceeding. Where ex parte communications are unavoidable, the judge shall advise all parties of the communications as soon as possible thereafter. | ||
(b) The ex parte communications preclusion shall not encompass scheduling discussions or other practical administrative matters. | ||||
(c) Ex parte discussions relating to possible settlement may be conducted in the course of settlement conferences or mediations when all parties agree in advance. | ||||
(d) Where an agency or agency staff is a party to a contested case, the legal representative appearing and acting for the agency in the case may not engage in ex parte communications concerning that case with the transmitting agency head, except for purposes of conferring settlement authority on the representative or as necessary to keep the agency head as a client informed of the status of the case, provided that no information may be disclosed ex parte if it would compromise the agency head‘s ability to adjudicate the case impartially. In no event may the legal representative participate in making or preparing the final decision in the case. | ||||
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